Ethereal Darkness – Echoes Review By Steel Druhm

Way back in the year before the Great Plague, I took a chance and reviewed an unheralded, self-released album by a one-man band from Belgium called Ethereal Darkness. We received the promo from the AMG contact forms without fanfare or fluff, but what I heard on Smoke and Shadows really impressed me. Project mastermind Lars created a monumental slab of melancholic, melodic doom in the vein of Insomnium, Rapture, and Before the Dawn, and the material had depth, power, and gravitas. It seemed like the work of a seasoned and polished group of musicians despite some rough edges. The years have drifted by since that review, and I’d all but given up Ethereal Darkness for dead. Imagine my surprise when Lars reached out recently to alert me to the pending release of his second album, Echoes. 6 years on, the solo project is now a full-fledged band ready to tour in support of their latest release. And what a large release it is! At 60 minutes, Echoes takes the style from the debut and goes way bigger, with much longer compositions and greater ambition in the writing. If that’s not big enough, it also features cover art from Adam Burke and a production from Dan “The Fücking Man” Swanö!1 Is bigger better in this case? Can more really be MOAR? And how are these guys still unsigned?? These are the questions of our time.

It takes ample ballsack to open with a nearly 11-minute song, but Ethereal Darkness do just that with “Gone With the Tide.” If the atmosphere on Smoke and Shadows impressed you, this will knock you into the next multiverse. It’s an epic, sweeping tableau of massive melodoom that holds nothing back as it transports you to majestic forests and towering mountains of snow and ice. It recalls the best works of Be’lakor and Black Sun Aeon, but there’s plenty of Insomnium in the DNA too. The guitarwork is phenomenal, full of sadboi trilling and doomy weight. The death vocals by Lars are very effective, the clean singing by acoustic guitarist Brecht hits the right way, and the lapses into blastbeating blackness are well-timed adrenaline spikes. This is a stupendous song and one of the best so far this year, and it goes by in a flash despite its girth. “The Cycle” continues to maintain the sky-high quality. It’s like a crazy mash-up of Eneferens and modern Amorphis, and you should pay big money for such a potent potable. It’s the kind of song you get lost in and lose track of time, and when you write songs in the 8-10 minute window, this is essential.

Elsewhere, “Winter” moves toward more blackened environs, channeling Saor and Nechochwen as epic soundscapes are raised and explored. The guitars here are beautifully rendered, and it’s another triumph for this unheralded project. Equally monolithic is “On the Edge of the Cliff,” where the music turns more aggressive and urgent, merging black and melodeath idioms adroitly for maximum impact. There’s an epic Viking metal energy here that makes you want to conquer and rule the weak, and it feels dangerously powerful. Despite so much magnificent opulence and aural decadence, there are some weaker moments. “IV” is very, very good and hints at my beloved Rapture, but it ends up feeling too long at 9:45, and trimming it by a few minutes would have helped. Ginormous closer “Realization” runs over 13 minutes, and despite good to great moments throughout, it’s undone by its sheer width and breadth. In its final minutes, I find it increasingly difficult to stay locked in and attentive. At just over 60 minutes, Echoes can be a daunting listen due to its density and length, but the reward is well worth the effort. I can’t find fault with the Swanö-ified production, as everything sounds lush, gorgeous, and heavy without being loud or oppressive.

Lars handles guitar, bass, keyboards, and harsh vocals, and to say he did an amazing job across the board doesn’t begin to cover it. There are some big, emotional moments here courtesy of his 6-string heroics, referencing the works of Tuomas Saukkonen without imitating. His deep death roars punctuate the music with force, and his blackened cackles and screams pierce through like lasers. His restrained use of keyboards should be a case study for other acts in the genre. They add atmosphere but rarely rise out of the distant background. Becht provides soothing acoustic guitar passages and clean vocals that deliver pathos and emotion. Peter’s drumming is a vast improvement over the programmed percussion from the debut, imbuing the material with vibrancy and weight. Applause all around for this crew!

Echoes is a bigger, better album than Smoke and Shadows in every way, with several tracks worthy of Song o’ the Year consideration. The album length and the bloat on a few tracks hold it back from even greater heights, but just barely. This is a sumptuous feast for the ears and mind, and I get the feeling I’ll be spending a lot of time with this over the next few months. Ethereal Darkness are about to get a lot more attention in the metalverse, and they deserve it. Hear this massive monster or be a lesser mortal. Somebody better sign these guys toot-sweet!



Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Release
Websites: etherealdarkness.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/etherealplace | instagram.com/etherealdarknessband
Releases Worldwide: March 20th, 2026

#2026 #40 #Amorphis #BeLakor #BeforeTheDawn #BelgianMetal #BlackMetal #DeathMetal #DoomMetal #Echoes #Eneferens #EtherealDarkness #Insomnium #Mar26 #MelodicDeathMetal #Nechochwen #Rapture #Review #Reviews #Saor #SelfRelase #SmokeAndShadows

Jord – Emellan Träden Review

By Killjoy

Jord began life in pretty much the exact way one would expect of an atmospheric black metal act. Founder Jörgen “Jurg” Ström would take daily walks through the forests of Sweden during fall 2020, during which he decided to start a nature-oriented musical endeavor. He quickly released two albums, Sol and Måne, on his own before recruiting guitarist Sebastian “Hravn” Svedlund and drummer Stefan Jansson, both of whom he had briefly performed with in Rimfrost and its splinter group Omnicidal. They worked together to create Tundra in 2023, and now look to extend their productive streak with Emellan Träden, Jord’s fourth full-length record in five years.

Jord is a sharp change of pace from the rowdy Rimfrost and Omnicidal, but by no means an unwelcome one. The earlier material that Jurg composed while living a nomadic van lifestyle is a faintly blackened post-rock, suggesting that he mainly listened to Alcest’s Kodama while driving. Emellan Träden retains a similar, albeit more refined, sound. Jord splashes in the same honey-sweet mountain lake as Einvigi or Vorna, the melodies steeped generously in the emotive splendor of Eneferens. The new band members appear to have brought more urgency and heft to Jord. Riffs are more plentiful and Hravn takes every opportunity to erupt in a lively guitar solo. Jansson’s drum beats are more forceful, pairing well with a bass tone that’s crunchy like crisp autumn leaves on the ground.

At first, Emellan Träden may seem more homogeneous than it actually is. Closer attention reveals ample variety, but more in the placement of the building blocks rather than the blocks themselves. For instance, the piano is central to Jord’s sound. Its simple yet wistful melodies underpin several songs (“Stay,” “King of the Night,” “Prinsessan Och Hästen”) in a manner like unto Kauan or Weltenbrandt. Jurg’s vocals are mainly a gravelly growl with a good amount of bite, but in “Stay” he adopts a sharper, rhythmic tone somewhat analogous to Vincent Jones (Æther Realm). His voice serves as an effective contrast with the female singing1 in “Hon Kallar,” which, when paired with a violi,n casts a hearty folk glow. Emellan Träden could have benefitted from a few more moments like this.

Emellan Träden strikes a decent balance between tranquility and heaviness. Jord seems most comfortable with a mid-paced tempo, where the emotional songwriting can shine brightest. The slight over-reliance on this trait might fall a bit flat for some listeners, but when Jord gets it right, the results are efficacious. “Vid Muren” starts off slow as an acoustic guitar intermingles with the electric, then gradually ramps up in velocity and intensity, culminating with a brisk guitar solo that could have sounded out of place without prior setup. Hravn’s soloing is one of the highlights of Emellan Träden, and “Den Brandgula Salen” in particular has the fingerprints of Rimfrost’s Expedition: Darkness all over it. The overall flow of Emellan Träden isn’t perfect, and at times a little jerky, but it’s nonetheless a treat to listen to as a whole.

While Jord’s origins may be stereotypical, its output quality is considerably above average. Emellan Träden is perhaps not the most original post-black record, but it’s among the better-executed ones I’ve heard in the style. Refreshingly, the melancholy and somberness are more of a tool than an end goal. The piano is a simple yet pleasant touch that goes a long way toward helping the music feel inviting. Emellan Träden is very good, but it feels like it’s missing that last little oomph of vitality to become great. Even so, it’s my idea of a perfect album to kick off this fall season.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 192 kbps mp3
Label: Hammerheart Records
Websites: jord-northernsilence.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/jordsounds
Releases Worldwide: September 5th, 2025

#2025 #35 #Alcest #AtmosphericBlackMetal #Einvigi #EmellanTräden #Eneferens #HammerheartRecords #Jord #Kauan #Omnicidal #PostRock #PostBlackMetal #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #Rimfrost #Sep25 #SwedishMetal #Vorna #Weltenbrandt

Dolven – In My Grave…Silence Review

By ClarkKent

In his review of Aganoor’s Doomerism, Killjoy discussed how the “myriad subgenres” of doom “can sound so wildly different from one another.” We can add to this discussion Portland, Oregon’s Dolven, who bills their latest album, In My Grave…Silence, as acoustic doom. This begs the question, what constitutes doom metal? Doom typically buries you in melancholy and despair with heavy, plodding, low-tuned guitars, or it sets you up for a good trip by adding some fuzz to the guitar tone. Can one really write doom music using acoustic instruments? Could you even call it metal, or is it just folk music? Sure, an acoustic guitar doesn’t get the same tone as an electric, but what matters is the spirit of the music–the mood and the tempo. Of course, I’m not really here to argue the semantics of what makes an album doom. Ultimately, I’m here to tell you whether Dolven’s latest album, In My Grave…Silence, is worthy of a spin or two.

Anyone familiar with Dolven’s prior work will quickly notice In My Grave…Silence sounds a little different. This is thanks to new singer, Jori Apedaile (Eneferens, Hyalithe), and percussionist, Hunter Ginn (Agalloch). Apedaile, who generally shrieks on his one-man black metal projects, sings gentle, plaintive cleans, at odds with the previous vocalist, Henry Lauer, who had a lower tenor and occasionally provided some growls. Ginn makes use of hand drums that bring a light, meditative touch, in addition to drums gently-tapped by stick. Even outside of these two n00bs, In My Grave…Silence has a much more refined and polished sound than prior outings. Main songwriter and guitarist, Nick Wusz (Snares of Sixes), remains Dolven’s heart and soul. He plays a mix of lightly plucked tunes and softly-strummed chords and provides such a soulful touch that it’s as if his guitar itself is crooning. Finally, bassist Jason W. Walton (Agalloch, Sculptured) provides a deeper resonance on his acoustic bass, reminding you of the sorrow residing behind Wusz’s sometimes uplifting, hopeful melodies.

There’s an intimacy to the musical compositions that brings the feeling of sitting around a campfire and watching Dolven play live. The phenomenal production values enhance these qualities.1 You can clearly hear every note, even the sliding of Wusz’s fingers on the strings. The album is also exceptionally quiet, forcing you to turn it up and pay close attention. This closeness brings a sense of comfort in spite of the otherwise mournful sounds and words. Where electric guitars leave lingering noise with each strum, the acoustic instruments create empty spaces that add to the tranquil melancholy. The tracks on In My Grave…Silence are thoughtful and intentional. The nine-minute “You’ve Chosen,” for example, doesn’t feel a second too long. It mixes a catchy whistling tune, terrific guitar playing, soulful singing, and meditative hand drums to create what will end up being one of the best songs of the year.2

The issue with a 45-minute album filled with acoustic plucks is that the songs start to blend together. Each song has its own distinct melodies, but without other distinguishing features a few of them are tough to differentiate from the pack. The more memorable tracks make use of unique features, such as the whistling on “You’ve Chosen” or the string instrument (likely violin) on “Beside Me.” The instrumentals in particular, are more ephemeral in nature and don’t necessarily stay with you after the record’s over. In My Grave…Silence also gets repetitive, especially on the longer tracks. This is more noticeable with the lyrics, where Apedaile repeats himself a lot. On “Anymore” he sings, “I don’t want to talk about it,” over and over, every other time adding the lyric “anymore.”3 A little bit of editing and trimming could have helped reduce this feeling of repetition.

All that said, In My Grave…Silence is a beautiful listen. It will haunt you with its melodies and plaintive singing, and it will calm you with its lightly-played arrangements. Wusz is a talented musician, and he has made wise choices in who to surround himself with. The long-form compositions he writes are outstanding, and he plays them wonderfully. His songs remind me of classical compositions, and that a record like this gets treated as metal or metal-adjacent says a lot about what makes heavy metal such a diverse musical genre. Across three records, Dolven has made clear improvements, and I have no doubt the next go around will be even better.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Winding Stairs Records
Websites: dolven.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/dolven.oregon
Releases Worldwide: June 13th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AcousticDoom #Agalloch #Aganoor #AmericanMetal #Dolven #DoomMetal #Eneferens #Folk #Hyalithe #InMyGraveSilence #Jun25 #NotMetal #Review #Reviews #Sculptured #SnaresOfSixes #WindingStairsRecords